Reflections on community action and planning

Reflections on community action and planning

Daniela Ciaffi

Nick Gallent

Publisher:

Policy Press

DOI:10.1332/policypress/9781447315162.003.0017

The final chapter draws conclusions from the case studies. It argues that community action may be a product of very different circumstances, but it often expresses a desire on the part of communities to challenge orthodoxies, pursue local projects, or fight perceived injustices. It is about doing something and changing something, and that latter something is often an institutional or systemic problem that is galvanised within normative frameworks or processes. Therefore, as Wolf-Powers observes, there is a risk that if community action becomes embedded in formal systems then the benefits of that action – to challenge and change the system – might be lost. Community action is characterised as self-help, addressing immediate needs, but also as protest which highlights failures elsewhere as a first step to addressing them.

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